CN113165671A - Traveling vehicle system - Google Patents

Traveling vehicle system Download PDF

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Publication number
CN113165671A
CN113165671A CN201980078570.3A CN201980078570A CN113165671A CN 113165671 A CN113165671 A CN 113165671A CN 201980078570 A CN201980078570 A CN 201980078570A CN 113165671 A CN113165671 A CN 113165671A
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CN
China
Prior art keywords
guide surface
guide
rail
track
traveling
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Granted
Application number
CN201980078570.3A
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Chinese (zh)
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CN113165671B (en
Inventor
小合玄己
石川和广
伊藤靖久
虎泽政佳
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Murata Machinery Ltd
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Murata Machinery Ltd
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Publication of CN113165671A publication Critical patent/CN113165671A/en
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61B—RAILWAY SYSTEMS; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B61B3/00—Elevated railway systems with suspended vehicles
    • B61B3/02—Elevated railway systems with suspended vehicles with self-propelled vehicles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G1/00—Storing articles, individually or in orderly arrangement, in warehouses or magazines
    • B65G1/02—Storage devices
    • B65G1/04—Storage devices mechanical
    • B65G1/0457—Storage devices mechanical with suspended load carriers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
    • B66C—CRANES; LOAD-ENGAGING ELEMENTS OR DEVICES FOR CRANES, CAPSTANS, WINCHES, OR TACKLES
    • B66C17/00—Overhead travelling cranes comprising one or more substantially horizontal girders the ends of which are directly supported by wheels or rollers running on tracks carried by spaced supports
    • B66C17/06—Overhead travelling cranes comprising one or more substantially horizontal girders the ends of which are directly supported by wheels or rollers running on tracks carried by spaced supports specially adapted for particular purposes, e.g. in foundries, forges; combined with auxiliary apparatus serving particular purposes
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
    • B66C—CRANES; LOAD-ENGAGING ELEMENTS OR DEVICES FOR CRANES, CAPSTANS, WINCHES, OR TACKLES
    • B66C7/00—Runways, tracks or trackways for trolleys or cranes
    • B66C7/02—Runways, tracks or trackways for trolleys or cranes for underhung trolleys or cranes
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67703—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations between different workstations
    • H01L21/67706—Mechanical details, e.g. roller, belt
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67703—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations between different workstations
    • H01L21/67715—Changing the direction of the conveying path
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67703—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations between different workstations
    • H01L21/6773—Conveying cassettes, containers or carriers
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67703—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations between different workstations
    • H01L21/67733—Overhead conveying
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61B—RAILWAY SYSTEMS; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B61B13/00—Other railway systems
    • B61B13/02—Rack railways
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G2201/00—Indexing codes relating to handling devices, e.g. conveyors, characterised by the type of product or load being conveyed or handled
    • B65G2201/02—Articles
    • B65G2201/0297—Wafer cassette

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Platform Screen Doors And Railroad Systems (AREA)
  • Warehouses Or Storage Devices (AREA)
  • Carriers, Traveling Bodies, And Overhead Traveling Cranes (AREA)
  • Vehicle Body Suspensions (AREA)

Abstract

The invention relates to a traveling vehicle system capable of preventing the structure of a traveling vehicle from becoming complicated and suppressing the position deviation of a main body part by a simple structure. A vehicle system (SYS) comprises a grid-shaped track (R) and a vehicle (100) traveling on a bridge, wherein the grid-shaped track (R) comprises a 1 st track (R1), a 2 nd track (R2) and a connecting track (R3), the vehicle (100) traveling on a bridge comprises a direction conversion mechanism (34) for rotating a connecting part (30), the connecting part connects a traveling wheel (21) and a main body part (10) and passes through a gap (D) between the 1 st track or the 2 nd track and the connecting track, a guide part (40) is arranged on the connecting part (30), the traveling wheel (21) moves along a 1 st guide surface (G1) in a 1 st state in which the traveling wheel rolls on the 1 st track (R1), and moves along a 2 nd guide surface (G2) in a 2 nd state in which the traveling wheel (21) rolls on the 2 nd track (R2).

Description

Traveling vehicle system
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a traveling vehicle system.
Background
In a semiconductor manufacturing plant or the like, for example, a traveling vehicle system is used which transports an article such as a FOUP accommodating a semiconductor wafer or a reticle pod accommodating a reticle by a traveling vehicle. As such a traveling vehicle system, there is known a traveling vehicle system including: a track having a 1 st track extending along a 1 st direction, a 2 nd track extending along a 2 nd direction different from the 1 st direction, and a connection track connecting the 1 st track and the 2 nd track; a running wheel rolling on the track; a main body portion disposed below the rail; a connecting portion for connecting the traveling wheel and the main body portion; and a direction conversion mechanism that integrally rotates the travel wheel and the coupling portion (see, for example, patent document 1).
Documents of the prior art
Patent document
Patent document 1: international publication No. 2018/037762
Disclosure of Invention
Problems to be solved by the invention
In the traveling vehicle system described in patent document 1, it is required that the main body does not have a positional deviation in a direction intersecting the traveling direction, regardless of whether the traveling vehicle travels on the 1 st track or the 2 nd track. Thus, the following constitution is also considered: for example, the guide rollers are disposed on the traveling vehicle, and the guide rollers are rolled on guide surfaces provided along the rails, thereby suppressing the positional deviation of the main body. However, as described above, in the traveling vehicle in which the direction is switched between when the traveling wheels travel on the 1 st track and when the traveling vehicles travel on the 2 nd track, if a mechanism for switching the direction of the guide rollers in accordance with the direction switching of the traveling wheels is separately provided, there is a problem that the configuration of the traveling vehicle becomes complicated. Further, when the height dimension of the traveling vehicle increases due to the arrangement of the guide rollers, it becomes a cause of a decrease in space efficiency near the ceiling of a building or the like in which the traveling vehicle system is installed.
The invention aims to provide a traveling vehicle system which can prevent the structure of a traveling vehicle from becoming complicated and can restrain the position deviation of a main body part through a simple structure.
Means for solving the problems
A traveling vehicle system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a track and a bridge traveling vehicle traveling along the track, the track including: a 1 st track extending along a 1 st direction; a 2 nd track extending in a 2 nd direction different from the 1 st direction; and a connecting rail that is adjacent to the 1 st rail in the 1 st direction and adjacent to the 2 nd rail in the 2 nd direction, and that is disposed with a gap between each of the 1 st rail and the 2 nd rail, wherein the rail has a 1 st guide surface provided along the 1 st rail and a 2 nd guide surface provided along the 2 nd rail, and the bridge traveling vehicle has: running wheels rolling on the 1 st rail, the 2 nd rail and the connecting rail; a main body portion disposed below the rail; a connecting portion that connects the axle of the traveling wheel to the main body portion and that passes through the gap when the traveling wheel rolls on the connecting rail; a direction switching mechanism which can switch between a 1 st state in which the traveling wheel rolls on the 1 st rail and a 2 nd state in which the traveling wheel rolls on the 2 nd rail by rotating the connection portion relative to the main body portion about the rotation shaft; and a guide portion provided to the connection portion and moving along the 1 st guide surface in the 1 st state and moving along the 2 nd guide surface in the 2 nd state.
The 1 st guide surface may be a side surface of the 1 st rail, and the 2 nd guide surface may be a side surface of the 2 nd rail. Further, the guide portion may be disposed at a height between the axle and the body portion of the travel wheel, and the 1 st guide surface and the 2 nd guide surface may be disposed at a height between the axle and the body portion of the travel wheel. Further, the guide portion may be a guide roller that can roll when contacting the 1 st guide surface or the 2 nd guide surface.
Further, the connection rail may include: a 1 st connection guide face provided at the same height and in the same direction as the 1 st guide face; and a 2 nd connection guide surface provided at the same height and in the same direction as the 2 nd guide surface. Further, the connection rail may include a continuous surface that continues the 1 st connection guide surface and the 2 nd connection guide surface. The continuous surface may be a curved surface that smoothly connects the 1 st connecting guide surface and the 2 nd connecting guide surface. The body may have a rectangular shape as viewed in the axial direction of the rotation shaft of the coupling portion, and may include a traveling wheel, the coupling portion, the direction conversion mechanism, and the guide portion at each of four corners. Further, the interval between the two guide portions arranged in the traveling direction of the overhead traveling vehicle may be different from the interval between the two gaps adjacent to each other in the 1 st direction or the 2 nd direction.
ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION
According to the above-described traveling vehicle system, the guide portion and the connection portion are integrally rotated, and therefore, the direction of the guide portion can be switched in accordance with the direction change of the traveling wheel without separately providing a structure for changing the direction of the guide portion. As a result, the configuration of the traveling vehicle can be prevented from becoming complicated, and the positional deviation of the main body can be suppressed with a simple configuration.
In the configuration in which the 1 st guide surface is a side surface of the 1 st raceway and the 2 nd guide surface is a side surface of the 2 nd raceway, by using the side surfaces of the 1 st raceway and the 2 nd raceway as the 1 st guide surface and the 2 nd guide surface, a part of the raceway can be effectively used as the guide surface of the guide portion. In addition, in the configuration in which the guide portion is disposed at the height between the axle of the travel vehicle and the main body portion, and the 1 st guide surface and the 2 nd guide surface are disposed at the height between the axle of the travel vehicle and the main body portion, it is possible to prevent the dimension of the travel vehicle in the vertical direction from increasing, and to prevent the space efficiency in the vicinity of the ceiling of a building or the like in which the travel vehicle system is installed from decreasing. Further, in the case where the guide portion is a guide roller that can roll when the guide portion comes into contact with the 1 st guide surface or the 2 nd guide surface, the frictional resistance when the guide portion comes into contact with the 1 st guide surface or the 2 nd guide surface can be reduced.
In addition, in the configuration in which the connection rail has the 1 st connection guide surface that is set to the same height and in the same direction as the 1 st guide surface and the 2 nd connection guide surface that is set to the same height and in the same direction as the 2 nd guide surface, the positional displacement of the main body portion can also be suppressed by the guide portion coming into contact with the 1 st connection guide surface or the 2 nd guide surface on the connection rail. In the configuration in which the connection rail includes the continuous surface that continues the 1 st connection guide surface and the 2 nd connection guide surface, when the traveling wheel is rotated by the direction conversion mechanism, the guide portion is moved along the continuous surface, whereby the positional displacement of the main body portion when the traveling wheel is rotated can be suppressed. Further, in the configuration in which the continuous surface is a curved surface that smoothly connects the 1 st connecting guide surface and the 2 nd connecting guide surface, smooth movement of the guide portion on the continuous surface can be ensured. In the configuration in which the main body portion is rectangular as viewed in the axial direction of the rotating shaft of the coupling portion and includes the traveling wheel, the coupling portion, the direction conversion mechanism, and the guide portion at each of the four corners, the guide portion disposed at the four corners of the main body portion can suppress a positional deviation of the main body portion about the vertical axis with respect to the track. In addition, in the configuration in which the interval between the two guide portions arranged in the traveling direction of the overhead traveling vehicle is different from the interval between the two gaps adjacent in the 1 st direction or the 2 nd direction, it is possible to prevent the two guide portions arranged in the traveling direction from being simultaneously located in the gap.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a side view showing an example of a traveling vehicle system according to the present embodiment.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a bridge type traveling vehicle used in the traveling vehicle system according to the present embodiment.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the traveling vehicle system according to the present embodiment.
Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a traveling unit and a coupling unit of the overhead traveling vehicle, where (a) is a plan view and (B) is a front view.
Fig. 5 is a plan view showing an example of the positional relationship between the 1 st rail, the 2 nd rail, and the connection rail and the guide portion.
Fig. 6 is a plan view showing an example of the guide portion when the traveling wheel is turned.
Fig. 7 is a side view showing a positional relationship between two gaps and two guide portions.
Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which the traveling direction of the overhead traveling vehicle is the 1 st direction.
Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating an operation of changing the traveling direction of the overhead traveling vehicle from the 2 nd direction to the 1 st direction.
Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the guide rollers when the traveling wheels turn.
Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which the traveling direction of the overhead traveling vehicle is the 2 nd direction.
Fig. 12 is a view showing another example of the guide portion, the 1 st guide surface, or the 2 nd guide surface.
Detailed Description
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below. In the drawings, for the purpose of illustrating the embodiments, portions are shown with appropriately changed scales such as enlarged or highlighted. In the following drawings, the directions in the drawings will be described using an XYZ coordinate system. In this XYZ coordinate system, a plane parallel to the horizontal plane is defined as an XY plane. One direction along the XY plane is denoted as an X direction, and a direction orthogonal to the X direction is denoted as a Y direction. The traveling direction of the overhead traveling vehicle 100 can be changed from the state shown in the following figures to another direction, and for example, the vehicle may travel in a curved direction. In addition, a direction perpendicular to the XY plane is denoted as a Z direction. The X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction are described as the + direction and the-direction, respectively, in the direction indicated by the arrow and the opposite direction to the arrow in the figure. In addition, the direction of gyration about the vertical axis or about the Z axis is denoted as the θ Z direction.
Fig. 1 is a side view showing an example of a traveling vehicle system SYS according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the overhead traveling vehicle 100 used in the traveling vehicle system SYS shown in fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the traveling vehicle system SYS according to the present embodiment. As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the overhead traveling vehicle 100 moves along the track R of the traveling vehicle system SYS, and transports an article M such as a FOUP accommodating a semiconductor wafer or a reticle box accommodating a reticle. The overhead traveling vehicle 100 transports the article M, and is therefore sometimes referred to as an overhead transport vehicle.
The traveling vehicle system SYS is a system for conveying the article M by the overhead traveling vehicle 100 in a clean room of a semiconductor manufacturing plant, for example. In the traveling vehicle system SYS, for example, a plurality of bridge traveling vehicles 100 may be used. By conveying the articles M by the plurality of overhead traveling vehicles 100, high-density conveyance is possible, and conveyance efficiency of the articles M can be improved.
Track R is one way of a track. The rails R are laid on or near the ceiling of a building such as a clean room. The track R is a lattice-shaped track having a 1 st track R1, a 2 nd track R2, and a connecting track R3 (see fig. 3). Hereinafter, the track R is referred to as a lattice-like track R. The 1 st rail R1 is disposed along the X direction (the 1 st direction D1). The 2 nd track R2 is disposed along the Y direction (the 2 nd direction D2). In the present embodiment, the 1 st direction D1 is orthogonal to the 2 nd direction D2, and the plurality of 1 st tracks R1 are orthogonal to the plurality of 2 nd tracks R2. The connecting rail R3 is disposed at the intersection of the 1 st rail R1 and the 2 nd rail R2. The connecting rail R3 is adjacent in the 1 st direction D1 with respect to the 1 st rail R1 and adjacent in the 2 nd direction D2 with respect to the 2 nd rail R2. The connecting rail R3 connects the 1 st rail R1 with the 2 nd rail R2. In the lattice-shaped track R, the 1 st track R1 is orthogonal to the 2 nd track R2, and therefore, a plurality of cells C are adjacent to each other in a plan view. Fig. 3 shows a part of the lattice-shaped tracks R, and the lattice-shaped tracks R have the same structure continuously formed in the 1 st direction D1(X direction) and the 2 nd direction D2(Y direction) from the illustrated structure.
The 1 st rail R1, the 2 nd rail R2, and the connection rail R3 are suspended from a ceiling (not shown) by a suspension member H (see fig. 3). The suspension member H has a 1 st part H1 for suspending the 1 st rail R1, a 2 nd part H2 for suspending the 2 nd rail R2, and a 3 rd part H3 for suspending the connecting rail R3. The 1 st segment H1 and the 2 nd segment H2 are provided at two positions sandwiching the 3 rd segment H3, respectively.
The 1 st rail R1, the 2 nd rail R2, and the connecting rail R3 respectively have running surfaces R1a, R2a, and R3a on which running wheels 21 of the overhead traveling vehicle 100, which will be described later, run. Gaps D are formed between the 1 st rail R1 and the connecting rail R3 and between the 2 nd rail R2 and the connecting rail R3, respectively. The gap D is a portion through which a coupling portion 30 described later, which is a part of the overhead traveling vehicle 100, passes when the overhead traveling vehicle 100 travels on the 1 st rail R1 to cross the 2 nd rail R2 or when the overhead traveling vehicle 100 travels on the 2 nd rail R2 to cross the 1 st rail R1. Thus, the gap D is set to a width through which the coupling portion 30 can pass. The 1 st rail R1, the 2 nd rail R2, and the connecting rail R3 are disposed along the same or substantially the same horizontal plane. In the present embodiment, the 1 st rail R1, the 2 nd rail R2, and the travel surface R1a, R2a, and R3a of the connecting rail R3 are disposed on the same or substantially the same horizontal plane.
The rail R has a 1 st guide surface G1 and a 2 nd guide surface G2. The 1 st guide surface G1 is disposed along the 1 st rail R1. In the present embodiment, the 1 st guide surface G1 is provided on the side surface of the 1 st rail R1. The 2 nd guide surface G2 is disposed along the 2 nd rail R2. In the present embodiment, the 2 nd rail R2 is provided on the side surface of the 2 nd guide surface G2.
Further, the connecting rail R3 has a 1 st connecting guide face G3a, a 2 nd connecting guide face G3b, and a continuous face G3 c. In the present embodiment, the 1 st connection guide surface G3a is provided at the same height (including substantially the same height) and in the same direction (including substantially the same direction) as the 1 st guide surface G1. That is, the 1 st connecting guide surface G3a is included in the same plane as the 1 st guide surface G1. The 2 nd connection guide surface G3b is set to the same height (including substantially the same height) and the same direction (including substantially the same direction) as the 2 nd guide surface G2. That is, the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3b is included in the same plane as the 2 nd guide surface G2. The continuous surface G3c is formed to be continuous with the 1 st connecting guide surface G3a and the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3 b. The continuous surface G3c is a curved surface smoothly connecting the 1 st connecting guide surface G3a and the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3 b. The details of the 1 st connecting guide surface G3a, the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3b, and the continuous surface G3c of the connecting rail R3 will be described later.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the overhead traveling vehicle 100 includes a main body 10, a traveling unit 20, a coupling unit 30, a guide unit 40, and a control unit 50. The control unit 50 collectively controls the operations of the respective units of the overhead traveling vehicle 100. The control unit 50 is provided on the main body 10, but may be provided outside the main body 10. The main body 10 is disposed below (on the Z side) the lattice-like track R. The main body 10 is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view, for example. The main body 10 is formed to have a size to be accommodated in one cell C of the lattice-shaped rail R in a plan view. Therefore, a space crossing another overhead traveling vehicle 100 traveling on the adjacent 1 st rail R1 or 2 nd rail R2 can be secured. The main body 10 includes an upper unit 17 and a transfer device 18. The upper unit 17 is suspended from the traveling unit 20 via the connection unit 30. The upper unit 17 has a rectangular shape in plan view, for example, and has four corners 10a on an upper surface 17 a.
The main body 10 includes a running wheel 21, a coupling portion 30, a direction conversion mechanism 34, and a guide portion 40 at each of four corner portions 10 a. In this configuration, the main body 10 can be stably suspended and the main body 10 can be stably driven by the running wheels 21 disposed at the four corners 10a of the main body 10. Further, the guide portions 40 arranged at the four corners 10a of the main body portion 10 can effectively suppress positional displacement of the main body portion 10 with respect to the 1 st direction D1 or the 2 nd direction D2 of the lattice-shaped path R and positional displacement of the main body portion 10 with respect to the lattice-shaped path R around the vertical axis. The guide portion 40 will be described in detail later.
The transfer device 18 is provided below the upper unit 17. The transfer device 18 is rotatable about a rotation axis AX1 in the Z direction (vertical direction). The transfer device 18 includes an article holding unit 13 for holding the article M, a vertical movement driving unit 14 for vertically moving the article holding unit 13 up and down, a lateral extension mechanism 11 for horizontally sliding the vertical movement driving unit 14, and a rotation unit 12 for holding the lateral extension mechanism 11. The article holding portion 13 holds the article M in a suspended manner by gripping the flange portion Ma of the article M. The article holding portion 13 is, for example, a chuck having a claw portion 13a movable in the horizontal direction, and holds the article M by moving the claw portion 13a below the flange portion Ma of the article M and raising the article holding portion 13. The article holding portion 13 is connected to a suspension member 13b such as a wire rope or a belt.
The lifting/lowering drive unit 14 is, for example, a lifter, and lowers the article holding unit 13 by releasing the suspension member 13b, and raises the article holding unit 13 by winding the suspension member 13 b. The elevation driving unit 14 is controlled by the control unit 50 to move the article holding unit 13 down or up at a predetermined speed. The elevation driving unit 14 is controlled by the control unit 50 to maintain the article holding unit 13 at the target height.
The lateral extension mechanism 11 has, for example, a plurality of movable plates arranged to overlap in the Z direction. The movable plate is relatively movable in the Y direction. A lifting drive unit 14 is mounted on the movable plate at the lowermost layer. The lateral extension mechanism 11 can move the flaps by a drive device (not shown) and laterally extend (slide) the elevation drive portion 14 and the article holding portion 13 attached to the lowermost flap in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the traveling direction, for example.
The rotating portion 12 is provided between the lateral extension mechanism 11 and the upper unit 17. The rotating unit 12 includes a rotating member 12a and a rotation driving unit 12 b. The turning member 12a is provided so as to be turnable in a direction around an axis in the vertical direction. The rotating member 12a supports the lateral projecting mechanism 11. The rotation driving unit 12b rotates the rotary member 12a in a direction around the rotation axis AX1, for example, using an electric motor or the like. The turning unit 12 can turn the turning member 12a by the driving force from the turning driving unit 12b, and can rotate the lateral extension mechanism 11 (the elevation driving unit 14 and the article holding unit 13) in the direction around the rotation axis AX 1.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the cover W may be provided so as to surround the transfer device 18 and the article M held by the transfer device 18. The cover W is cylindrical with an open lower end, and has a shape in which a portion from which the movable plate of the lateral extension mechanism 11 protrudes is cut. The upper end of the cover W is attached to the rotor 12a of the rotor 12 and rotates about the rotation axis AX1 in accordance with the rotation of the rotor 12 a.
The traveling unit 20 includes traveling wheels 21 and auxiliary wheels 22. The running wheels 21 are disposed at four corner portions 10a of the upper surface 17a of the upper unit 17 (main body portion 10), respectively. The traveling wheels 21 are attached to axles 21a, respectively, and the axles 21a are provided in the connecting portion 30. The axle 21a is disposed parallel or substantially parallel to the XY plane. The traveling wheels 21 are rotationally driven by a driving force of a traveling drive unit 33 described later. The traveling wheels 21 roll on the 1 st rail R1, the 2 nd rail R2, and the traveling surfaces R1a, R2a, and R3a connected to the rail R3 on the rail R, respectively, and the overhead traveling vehicle 100 travels. The four traveling wheels 21 are not limited to the configuration in which all of the four traveling wheels 21 are rotationally driven by the driving force of the traveling drive unit 33, and a part of the four traveling wheels 21 may be rotationally driven.
The running wheel 21 is provided so as to be rotatable in the θ Z direction about an axis of rotation AX 2. The traveling wheels 21 are turned in the θ Z direction by a direction conversion mechanism 34 described later, and as a result, the traveling direction of the overhead traveling vehicle 100 can be changed. One auxiliary wheel 22 is disposed in front of and behind the traveling wheel 21 in the traveling direction. Like the running wheels 21, the auxiliary wheels 22 are respectively rotatable about axles 22a parallel or substantially parallel to the XY plane. The lower end of the auxiliary wheel 22 is set higher than the lower end of the running wheel 21. Thus, when the running wheels 21 run on the running surfaces R1a, R2a, R3a, the auxiliary wheels 22 do not contact the running surfaces R1a, R2a, R3 a. Further, when the running wheel 21 passes through the gap D, the auxiliary wheel 22 contacts the running surfaces R1a, R2a, R3a to suppress the falling of the running wheel 21. Further, the present invention is not limited to the provision of two auxiliary wheels 22 for one traveling wheel 21, and for example, one auxiliary wheel 22 may be provided for one traveling wheel 21, or the auxiliary wheel 22 may not be provided.
The connecting portion 30 connects the upper unit 17 of the main body 10 and the traveling portion 20. The connection portions 30 are provided at four corner portions 10a of the upper surface 17a of the upper unit 17 (main body 10), respectively. The main body 10 is suspended from the traveling unit 20 by the connecting unit 30, and is disposed below the lattice-shaped track R. The connecting portion 30 includes a support member 31 and a connecting member 32. The support member 31 rotatably supports the rotation shaft of the travel wheel 21 and the rotation shaft of the auxiliary wheel 22. The relative position between the running wheel 21 and the auxiliary wheel 22 is maintained by the support member 31. The support member 31 is formed in a plate shape, for example, and has a thickness that can pass through the gap D.
The connecting member 32 extends downward from the support member 31, is connected to the upper surface 17a of the upper unit 17, and holds the upper unit 17. The coupling member 32 includes a transmission mechanism therein for transmitting a driving force of a travel driving unit 33, which will be described later, to the travel wheels 21. The transmission mechanism may be configured by using a chain or a belt, or may be configured by using a gear train. The coupling member 32 is provided so as to be rotatable in the θ Z direction about an axis of rotation AX 2. By the coupling member 32 being rotatable about the rotation axis AX2, the travel wheel 21 can be rotated in the θ Z direction about the rotation axis AX2 via the support member 31.
The connection portion 30 is provided with a travel driving portion 33 and a direction conversion mechanism 34. The travel driving unit 33 is attached to the link member 32. The travel driving unit 33 is a driving source that drives the travel wheels 21, and for example, an electric motor or the like is used. The four traveling wheels 21 are driven by the traveling drive unit 33 to become driving wheels. The four running wheels 21 are controlled by the control unit 50 to have the same or substantially the same rotational speed. In the case where any one of the four traveling wheels 21 is not used as a driving wheel, the traveling drive unit 33 is not mounted on the link member 32 corresponding to the traveling wheel 21 that is not used as a driving wheel.
The direction conversion mechanism 34 rotates the link member 32 of the coupling portion 30 about the rotation axis AX2, thereby rotating the vehicle wheel 21 in the θ Z direction around the rotation axis AX 2. By turning the traveling wheels 21 in the θ Z direction, the traveling direction of the bridge traveling vehicle 100 can be switched from the 1 st state in which the traveling direction is the 1 st direction D1 to the 2 nd state in which the traveling direction is the 2 nd direction D2, or from the 2 nd state in which the traveling direction is the 2 nd direction D2 to the 1 st state in which the traveling direction is the 1 st direction D1.
The direction conversion mechanism 34 has a drive source 35, a pinion 36, and a rack 37. The drive source 35 is attached to a side surface of the travel driving unit 33 away from the rotation axis AX 2. The drive source 35 is, for example, an electric motor. The pinion gear 36 is attached to the lower surface side of the drive source 35, and is rotationally driven in the θ Z direction by the drive force generated by the drive source 35. The pinion gear 36 has a circular shape in plan view, and has a plurality of teeth in the circumferential direction of the outer periphery. The rack 37 is fixed to the upper surface 17a of the upper unit 17. The racks 37 are provided at the four corners 10a of the upper surface 17a of the upper unit 17, respectively, and are provided in an arc shape (fan shape) centered on the rotation axis AX2 of the travel wheel 21. The rack 37 has a plurality of teeth in the circumferential direction of the outer periphery that mesh with the teeth of the pinion 36.
The pinion gear 36 and the rack gear 37 are disposed in a state where their teeth mesh with each other. By the rotation of the pinion 36 in the θ Z direction, the pinion 36 moves in the circumferential direction centered on the rotation axis AX2 along the outer periphery of the rack 37. By the movement of the pinion gear 36, the coupling member 32 rotates, and the travel driving unit 33 and the direction conversion mechanism 34 rotate together with the pinion gear 36 in the circumferential direction around the rotation axis AX 2.
The travel wheels 21 and the auxiliary wheels 22 arranged at the four corners 10a of the upper surface 17a are rotated within a range of 90 degrees in the θ Z direction around the rotation axis AX2 by the rotation of the direction conversion mechanism 34. The driving of the direction conversion mechanism 34 is controlled by the control portion 50. The control unit 50 may instruct the turning operation of the four traveling wheels 21 to be performed at the same timing, or may instruct the turning operation to be performed at different timings. By turning the running wheel 21 and the auxiliary wheel 22, the running wheel 21 is shifted from a state of contact with one of the 1 st rail R1 and the 2 nd rail R2 to a state of contact with the other. In other words, the direction of the rotation axis of the travel wheel 21 is shifted from the state of being in one of the 1 st direction D1 and the 2 nd direction D2 to the state of being in the other. Therefore, the traveling direction of the overhead traveling vehicle 100 can be switched between the 1 st state in which the traveling direction is the 1 st direction D1(X direction) and the 2 nd state in which the traveling direction is the 2 nd direction D2(Y direction).
Fig. 4 is a view showing an example of the traveling unit 20 and the coupling unit 30, where (a) is a plan view and (B) is a front view. As shown in fig. 4, a guide housing 31a is provided in the support member 31 of the connection portion 30. The guide portion 40 suppresses the positional deviation of the connection portion 30 with respect to the lattice-shaped track R, and further suppresses the positional deviation of the main body portion 10 with respect to the lattice-shaped track R. The guide portions 40 are provided in the respective coupling portions 30, and the coupling portions 30 are disposed at four corner portions 10a of the upper surface 17a of the body 10 (see fig. 1 and 2). In the 1 st state where the running wheel 21 runs on the 1 st rail R1, the guide portion 40 moves along the 1 st guide surface G1 and the 1 st connecting guide surface G3 a. In the 2 nd state where the running wheel 21 runs on the 2 nd rail R2, the guide portion 40 moves along the 2 nd guide surface G2 and the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3 b. During travel of the main body portion 10, the guide portion 40 may be in a state of abutting against the 1 st guide surface G1 or the 2 nd guide surface G2, or may be in a state of being spaced apart from the 1 st guide surface G1 or the 2 nd guide surface G2 by a gap.
The guide 40 has a guide roller 41 accommodated in the guide accommodating portion 31a of the support member 31. The guide roller 41 is housed in the guide housing portion 31a, and is disposed in a state where the-X-side end portion protrudes from the guide housing portion 31 a. The guide roller 41 is supported by a roller shaft 41a so as to be rotatable about the Z axis. The roller shaft 41a is fixed inside the guide housing 31a and is arranged parallel to the Z direction.
The roller shaft 41a may be supported by an elastic member, for example. With this configuration, the guide roller 41 is supported to be movable and rotatable in the X direction, and the impact of the guide roller 41 colliding with the 1 st guide surface G1 or the like can be absorbed by the elastic member. The guide roller 41 is a driven roller that does not have a drive source for rotating the guide roller 41. However, a driving unit may be provided to rotationally drive the guide roller 41 in accordance with the traveling direction of the main body 10.
The guide roller 41 is disposed at a height between the axle 21a of the running wheel 21 and the main body 10. The 1 st guide surface G1 and the 2 nd guide surface G2 are disposed at a height between the axle 21a of the running wheel 21 and the main body 10. The guide roller 41 is disposed at a position corresponding to the height of the 1 st guide surface G1 and the 2 nd guide surface G2 in the connecting portion 30. By disposing the guide roller 41 at a height between the axle 21a of the running wheel 21 and the main body 10, it is possible to suppress an increase in the vertical dimension of the connecting portion 30 or the running portion 20, and prevent a decrease in the space efficiency near the ceiling of a building or the like.
Since the roller shaft 41a is provided in the coupling portion 30, when the direction of the running wheel 21 is changed by the direction conversion mechanism 34, that is, when the coupling portion 30 is rotated by the direction conversion mechanism 34, the guide portion 40 (guide roller 41) rotates about the rotation axis AX2 in accordance with the rotation of the running wheel 21. Therefore, in the 1 st state where the running wheel 21 runs on the 1 st rail R1, the guide roller 41 is in a state of facing the 1 st guide surface G1 and the 1 st connecting guide surface G3a, and in the 2 nd state where the running wheel 21 runs on the 2 nd rail R2, the guide roller 41 is in a state of facing the 2 nd guide surface G2 and the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3 b. In this way, since the guide roller 41 is rotated by using the direction switching mechanism 34 for switching the running state of the running wheels 21, it is not necessary to provide a separate mechanism for rotating the guide roller 41, and the configuration of the main body portion 10 is prevented from becoming complicated.
Fig. 5 is a plan view showing an example of the positional relationship between the 1 st rail R1, the 2 nd rail R2, and the connecting rail R3 and the guide roller 41. Fig. 6 is a plan view showing an example of the guide portion 40 (guide roller 41) when the running wheel 21 is rotated. As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the guide roller 41 is a portion protruding from the guide portion housing portion 31a of the support member 31, and is capable of contacting the 1 st guide surface G1 which is a side surface of the 1 st rail R1, the 2 nd guide surface G2 which is a side surface of the 2 nd rail R2, the 1 st connecting guide surface G3a which is a side surface of the connecting rail R3, the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3b, and the continuous surface G3 c. In fig. 5 and 6, the guide housing portion 31a of the support member 31 is not shown.
As shown in fig. 5, in the case where the main body portion 10 travels in the 1 st direction D1 (in the 1 st state where the travel wheels 21 roll on the 1 st rail R1), the guide roller 41 moves along the 1 st guide surface G1 or the 1 st connecting guide surface G3 a. In the 1 st state, the portion of the guide roller 41 protruding from the guide housing 31a can contact the 1 st guide surface G1 and the 1 st connecting guide surface G3 a. Further, since the guide roller 41 is rotatable when in contact with the 1 st guide surface G1 and the 1 st connecting guide surface G3a, frictional resistance at the time of contact during travel of the main body portion 10 is reduced, generation of particles can be suppressed, and an increase in load on the travel driving portion 33 can be suppressed.
In addition, in the state shown in fig. 5, when the main body 10 has moved in the 2 nd direction D2, the guide roller 41 abuts against the 1 st guide surface G1 or the 1 st connection guide surface G3a, and therefore, the main body 10 is restricted from being displaced in the 2 nd direction D2. That is, since the main body 10 has the pair of guide rollers 41 in the 2 nd direction D2 and the guide rollers 41 abut on the 1 st guide surface G1 or the 1 st connecting guide surface G3a facing each other, the main body 10 can be prevented from being displaced in the + Y direction and the-Y direction. Therefore, it is needless to say that the positional deviation in the 2 nd direction D2 can be restricted while the main body 10 travels in the 1 st direction D1, and the positional deviation in the 2 nd direction D2 can be restricted even when the main body 10 stops on any one of the lattice-shaped rails R.
As shown in fig. 6, when the main body 10 is caused to travel in the 2 nd direction D2 from the state in which the main body 10 is traveling in the 1 st direction D1 (when the main body is in the 2 nd state in which the running wheel 21 rolls on the 2 nd rail R2), the running wheel 21 is turned by the direction switching mechanism 34. At this time, the direction conversion mechanism 34 rotates the connection unit 30, and thereby the guide roller 41 also rotates around the rotation axis AX 2. The guide roller 41 moves from the 1 st connection guide surface G3a to the 2 nd connection guide surface G3b via the continuous surface G3 c.
In this case, the continuous surface G3c is a curved surface smoothly connecting the 1 st connecting guide surface G3a and the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3b, and therefore the guide roller 41 can be smoothly moved while rotating. In the present embodiment, the continuous surface G3c is formed in an arc shape in plan view, and therefore the guide roller 41 can be moved more smoothly. The form of the continuous surface G3c is not limited to the form shown in the drawing, and may be, for example, a curved surface other than an arc shape in a plan view, or may be a form in which a plurality of planes are connected to form an uneven corner or the like.
Further, the continuous surface G3c may not be formed. That is, the first connecting guide surface G3a and the second connecting guide surface G3b may be separated from each other, or may be discontinuous from each other. In this case, the guide roller 41 is temporarily kept out of contact with the 1 st connecting guide surface G3a when moving from the 1 st connecting guide surface G3a toward the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3b or when moving from the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3b toward the 1 st connecting guide surface G3 a.
As shown in fig. 6, the guide roller 41 is moved to a state along the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3b, and thereby the main body 10 is brought into a state in which the main body 10 can travel in the 2 nd direction D2 (the 2 nd state in which the travel wheels 21 roll on the 2 nd rail R2). In the 2 nd state, the portion of the guide roller 41 protruding from the guide housing 31a can contact the 2 nd guide surface G2 and the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3 b. Further, as described above, since the guide roller 41 is rotatable when in contact with the 2 nd guide surface G2 and the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3b, the frictional resistance at the time of contact during travel of the main body portion 10 is reduced, and an increase in the load on the travel driving unit 33 can be suppressed.
In addition, in the state shown in fig. 6, when the main body 10 has moved in the 1 st direction D1, the guide roller 41 abuts against the 2 nd guide surface G2 or the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3b, and therefore, the main body 10 is restricted from being displaced in the 1 st direction D1. That is, since the main body 10 has the pair of guide rollers 41 in the 1 st direction D1 and the guide rollers 41 abut on the 2 nd guide surface G2 or the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3b facing each other, the main body 10 can be prevented from being displaced in the + X direction and the-X direction. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the positional deviation in the 1 st direction D1 while the main body 10 is traveling in the 2 nd direction D2, and to suppress the positional deviation in the 1 st direction D1 even when the main body 10 stops on any of the lattice-shaped rails R.
Fig. 7 is a side view showing an example of the positional relationship between the rail R and the guide roller 41. As shown in fig. 7, the interval L1 between two guide rollers 41 arranged in the traveling direction among the four guide rollers 41 is set to be different from the interval L2 between the gaps D adjacent in the 1 st direction D1 or the 2 nd direction D2. With this configuration, the two guide rollers 41 aligned in the traveling direction can be prevented from being simultaneously positioned in the gap D. In the example shown in fig. 7, the interval L1 of the guide roller 41 is shown to be larger than the interval L2 of the gap D, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the interval L1 of the guide roller 41 may be smaller than the interval L2 of the gap D.
Next, a case where the traveling direction of the overhead traveling vehicle 100 is changed in the traveling vehicle system SYS according to the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 8 to 11 are diagrams illustrating an operation of changing the traveling direction of the overhead traveling vehicle 100 from the 1 st direction D1 to the 2 nd direction D2. In the bridge type traveling vehicle 100, as shown in fig. 8, the main body portion 10 traveling in the 1 st direction D1(+ X direction or-X direction) on the 1 st rail R1 stops at a position (a position where all of the four corner portions 10a are close to the connecting rail R3) reaching one cell C (see fig. 3) of the lattice-shaped rail R. That is, the control unit 50 (see fig. 1) stops the driving of the travel driving unit 33 at the position described above. At this time, the four running wheels 21 are all in contact with the connecting rail R3. The four guide rollers 41 are disposed at positions along the 1 st connecting guide surface G3a of the connecting rail R3.
Next, as shown in fig. 9, the control unit 50 drives the direction conversion mechanism 34 to rotate the connection unit 30, and rotates the travel wheels 21 and the auxiliary wheels 22 arranged at the four corner portions 10a in the θ Z direction around the rotation axis AX2, respectively. At this time, the diagonally positioned running wheels 21 and the like turn in the same direction. For example, the upper left traveling wheel 21 and the like and the lower right traveling wheel 21 and the like of the four traveling wheels 21 are rotated clockwise. On the other hand, the upper right running wheel 21 and the like and the lower left running wheel 21 and the like are shown to turn counterclockwise. The turning operation may be performed at the same timing or at different timings, for example, by turning the upper left and lower right running wheels 21 and the like shown in the figure simultaneously, and then turning the upper right and lower left running wheels 21 and the like shown in the figure simultaneously.
When the traveling wheel 21 and the auxiliary wheel 22 rotate, the four guide rollers 41 rotate around the rotation axis AX2 integrally with the connection portion 30 and move along the continuous plane G3 c. Therefore, the guide roller 41 rotates to switch the direction while the traveling wheels 21 and the auxiliary wheels 22 rotate. Since the guide roller 41 moves along the continuous surface G3c, smooth movement of the guide roller 41 can be ensured. The turning operation of the traveling wheels 21 and the like is not hindered. Further, since the turning of the running wheels 21 and the like and the turning of the guide roller 41 are performed by the common direction switching mechanism 34, it is possible to avoid the configuration of the main body portion 10 from being complicated without separately providing a configuration for switching the direction of the guide roller 41.
Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the guide roller 41 when the running wheels 21 turn. As shown in fig. 10, the four guide rollers 41 provided in the connecting portion 30 change their orientations in synchronization with each other by performing the turning operation of the four traveling wheels 21 at the same timing. As a result, the main body 10 can prevent the positional deviation because the guide rollers 41 face the connecting rail R3 (continuous surface G3c) during the turning operation (steering operation) of the running wheels 21. Further, since the guide roller 41 moves along the continuous surface G3c during the turning operation of the running wheel 21, the positional displacement of the main body 10 during the turning operation of the running wheel 21 can be reliably prevented.
Next, as shown in fig. 11, after each of the running wheels 21 and the like has turned 90 ° in the θ Z direction, the control unit 50 stops the driving of the direction switching mechanism 34. By driving the travel driving unit 33 in this state, the overhead traveling vehicle 100 can travel in the 2 nd direction D2(+ Y direction or-Y direction). The four guide rollers 41 are disposed at positions along the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3b of the connecting rail R3. Further, even when the traveling wheels 21 and the like rotate, the main body 10 does not rotate. Therefore, the orientation of the main body portion 10 is not changed in either the case where the overhead traveling vehicle 100 travels in the 1 st direction D1 or the case where the overhead traveling vehicle travels in the 2 nd direction D2.
As described above, according to the traveling vehicle system SYS according to the present embodiment, the guide roller 41 of the guide portion 40 rotates integrally with the connection portion 30, and therefore, the direction of the guide roller 41 can be switched in accordance with the direction switching of the traveling wheels 21 without separately providing a configuration for switching the direction of the guide roller 41. As a result, the structure of the overhead traveling vehicle 100 can be prevented from becoming complicated, and the positional deviation of the main body 10 can be suppressed with a simple structure. In addition, fig. 8 to 11 show the case where the traveling direction of the bridge traveling vehicle 100 is changed from the 1 st direction D1 to the 2 nd direction D2, but the same is true for the case where the traveling direction of the bridge traveling vehicle 100 is changed from the 2 nd direction D2 to the 1 st direction D1.
In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the 1 st guide surface G1 and the 2 nd guide surface G2 are the side surface of the 1 st rail R1 and the side surface of the 2 nd rail R2, respectively, has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.
Fig. 12 is a diagram showing another example of the track R, the traveling unit 20, and the coupling unit 30. As shown in fig. 12, a guide plate Rp may be attached to the side surfaces of the 1 st rail R1 and the 2 nd rail R2 of the rails R, and the surface of the guide plate Rp may be set to the 1 st guide surface G1 or the 2 nd guide surface G2. In this case, the guide plate Rp is arranged in a state of extending downward (-Z side) from the side surfaces of the 1 st rail R1 and the 2 nd rail R2. Therefore, the 1 st guide surface G1 and the 2 nd guide surface G2 can be set at positions lower than the 1 st rail R1 and the 2 nd rail R2. Further, the connecting rail R3 may be provided with a guide plate (not shown) extending downward from a side surface of the rail to form the 1 st connecting guide surface G3a, the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3b, and the continuous surface G3 c.
In the configuration shown in fig. 12, the height direction position of the guide roller 41 is determined along the 1 st guide surface G1 and the 2 nd guide surface G2 (including the 1 st connecting guide surface G3a, the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3b, and the continuous surface G3c, which are not shown). Therefore, the guide roller 41 is disposed below the 1 st rail R1 and the 2 nd rail R2. The 1 st guide surface G1 and the like are not limited to being disposed below the 1 st rail R1 and the like. For example, the guide plate Rp may be arranged above the 1 st rail R1 or the like. In this case, the guide plate Rp may be held by the 1 st rail R1 or the like via a support member or the like.
The embodiments have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above description, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the guide portion 40 is disposed in each of the four coupling portions 30 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the guide unit 40 may be disposed in one to three of the four coupling portions 30.
In the above embodiment, the guide portion 40 is described as an example in which the guide roller 41 that rotates around the axis of the roller shaft 41a is provided, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The guide 40 may be formed not to rotate, for example, by a projection of the support member 31 formed on the connection portion 30. The projection may be formed in a spherical or curved shape to reduce contact resistance with the 1 st guide surface G1 or the like. The guide portion 40 may be disposed with a predetermined gap from each of the 1 st guide surface G1, the 2 nd guide surface G2, the 1 st connecting guide surface G3a, the 2 nd connecting guide surface G3b, and the continuous surface G3 c.
In the above embodiment, the lattice-shaped track R in which the 1 st track R1 (the 1 st direction D1) and the 2 nd track R2 (the 2 nd direction D2) are orthogonal to each other has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the track R may be a 1 st track R1 not orthogonal to the 2 nd track R2. The form of the lattice-like track R where the 1 st track R1 and the 2 nd track R2 intersect is not limited, and the 2 nd track R2 may be arranged in a state of being bent from the end of the 1 st track R1, for example, as the track R.
One or more of the elements described in the above embodiments may be omitted. The elements described in the above embodiments and the like can be appropriately combined. Further, the disclosure of japanese patent application, namely japanese patent application No. 2018-222552 and all documents cited in the above embodiments and the like are incorporated as a part of the description herein, as far as the legal allowance is made.
Description of the symbols
D: a gap; d1: the 1 st direction; d2: a 2 nd direction; g1: a 1 st guide surface; g2: a 2 nd guide surface; g3 a: 1 st connection guide surface; g3 b: 2 nd connection guide face; g3 c: a continuous surface; m: an article; l1, L2: spacing; r: lattice-shaped rails (tracks); r1: track 1; r2: a 2 nd track; r3: connecting the rails; and Rp: a guide plate; SYS: a vehicle system; 10: a main body portion; 20: a traveling section; 21: a running wheel; 21a, 22 a: an axle; 22: an auxiliary wheel; 30: a connecting portion; 40: a guide section; 41: a guide roller; 41 a: a roll shaft; 50: a control unit; 100: an overhead traveling vehicle.

Claims (9)

1. A traveling vehicle system is provided with:
a track having: a 1 st track extending along a 1 st direction; a 2 nd track extending in a 2 nd direction different from the 1 st direction; and a connecting track adjacent to the 1 st track in the 1 st direction and adjacent to the 2 nd track in the 2 nd direction, the connecting track being disposed with a gap between the 1 st track and the 2 nd track; and
an overhead traveling vehicle traveling along the track,
in the above-described traveling vehicle system,
the track has:
a 1 st guide surface provided along the 1 st rail; and
a 2 nd guide surface provided along the 2 nd orbit,
the bridge traveling vehicle includes:
a traveling wheel that rolls on the 1 st rail, the 2 nd rail, and the connection rail;
a main body portion disposed below the rail;
a connecting portion that connects the axle of the traveling wheel to the main body portion and that passes through the gap when the traveling wheel rolls on the connecting rail;
a direction switching mechanism configured to be capable of switching between a 1 st state in which the traveling wheel rolls on the 1 st rail and a 2 nd state in which the traveling wheel rolls on the 2 nd rail by rotating the coupling portion relative to the main body portion about a rotation axis; and
and a guide portion provided in the connection portion and moving along the 1 st guide surface in the 1 st state and moving along the 2 nd guide surface in the 2 nd state.
2. The drive train system of claim 1, wherein,
the 1 st guide surface is a side surface of the 1 st rail,
the 2 nd guide surface is a side surface of the 2 nd orbit.
3. The traveling vehicle system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,
the guide portion is disposed at a height between the axle and the body portion of the travel wheel,
the 1 st guide surface and the 2 nd guide surface are disposed at a height between the axle and the body portion of the travel wheel.
4. The traveling vehicle system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein,
the guide portion is a guide roller that can roll when contacting the 1 st guide surface or the 2 nd guide surface.
5. The traveling vehicle system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
the above-mentioned connecting track has:
a 1 st connecting guide surface provided at the same height and in the same direction as the 1 st guide surface; and
and a 2 nd connecting guide surface provided at the same height and in the same direction as the 2 nd guide surface.
6. The drive train system of claim 5, wherein,
the connection rail includes a continuous surface that continues the 1 st connection guide surface and the 2 nd connection guide surface.
7. The drive train system of claim 6, wherein,
the continuous surface is a curved surface smoothly connecting the 1 st connecting guide surface and the 2 nd connecting guide surface.
8. The traveling vehicle system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein,
the body portion has a rectangular shape as viewed in an axial direction of the rotating shaft of the coupling portion, and includes the traveling wheel, the coupling portion, the direction conversion mechanism, and the guide portion at each of four corner portions.
9. The drive train system of claim 8, wherein,
an interval between the two guide portions arranged in the traveling direction of the overhead traveling vehicle is different from an interval between the two gaps adjacent to each other in the 1 st direction or the 2 nd direction.
CN201980078570.3A 2018-11-28 2019-10-23 Driving vehicle system Active CN113165671B (en)

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JP2018222552 2018-11-28
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